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Abaronet (/ˈbærənɪt/ or/ˈbærəˌnɛt/;[1] abbreviatedBart orBt[1]) or the female equivalent, abaronetess (/ˈbærənɪtɪs/,[2]/ˈbærənɪtɛs/,[3] or/ˌbærəˈnɛtɛs/;[4] abbreviationBtss), is the holder of abaronetcy, ahereditary title awarded by theBritish Crown. The title of baronet is mentioned as early as the14th century; however, in its current usage it was created byJames I of England in 1611 as a means of raising funds for the crown.
Baronets rank belowbarons and aboveknights bachelor. Like knights, they are addressed as "Sir" (or "Dame" in the case of baronetesses). They are conventionally seen to belong to the lesser nobility, althoughWilliam Thoms wrote in 1844 that:
The precise quality of this dignity is not yet fully determined, some holding it to be the head of thenobiles minores, while others, again, rank Baronets as the lowest of thenobiles majores, because their honour, like that of the higher nobility, is both hereditary and created by patent.[5]
Comparisons with continental titles and ranks are tenuous due to the British system ofprimogeniture and because claims to baronetcies must be proven; currently theOfficial Roll of the Baronetage is overseen by theMinistry of Justice. In practice this means that the UK Peerage and Baronetage consists of about 1,200 families (some peers are also baronets), which is roughly less than 0.01% of UK families.
The termbaronet has medieval origins.Sir Thomas de La More (1322), describing theBattle of Boroughbridge, mentioned that baronets took part, along with barons and knights.[6]Edward III created eight baronets in 1328.
The title of baronet was initially conferred uponnoblemen who lost the right ofindividual summons to Parliament, and was used in this sense in astatute ofRichard II. A similar title of lower rank wasbanneret.
Present-day baronets date from 1611 whenJames I grantedletters patent to 200 gentlemen of good birth with an income of at least £1,000 a year (equivalent to £254,000 in 2023[7]). In return for the honour, each was required to pay one pound a day for the upkeep of thirty soldiers for three years (1,095 days), thus amounting to £1,095 (equivalent to £278,000 in 2023[7]), in those days a very large sum. The money was to help fund thePlantation of Ulster.[8] In 1619, James I established theBaronetage of Ireland;Charles I in 1625 created the Baronetages ofScotland andNova Scotia. The new baronets were each required to pay 2,000marks (equivalent to £522,000 in 2023[7]), or to support six colonial settlers for two years. Over a hundred of these baronetcies, now familiarly known as Scottish baronetcies, survive to this day.
As a result of theUnion of England and Scotland in 1707, all future creations were styledbaronets of Great Britain. Following the Union of Great Britain and Ireland in 1801, new creations were styled asbaronets of the United Kingdom.
Underroyal warrants of 1612 and 1613, certain privileges were accorded to baronets. Firstly, no person or persons should have place between baronets and the younger sons of peers. Secondly, the right ofknighthood was established for the eldest sons of baronets (this was later revoked byGeorge IV in 1827), and thirdly, baronets were allowed to augment their armorial bearings with theArms ofUlster on aninescutcheon: "in a field Argent, a HandGeules (or a bloudy hand)". These privileges were extended to baronets of Ireland, and for baronets of Scotland the privilege of depicting the Arms of Nova Scotia as an augmentation of honour. The former applies to this day for all baronets of Great Britain and of theUnited Kingdom created subsequently.
Like knights, baronets are accorded the style "Sir" before their first name. Baronetesses in their own right use "Dame", also before their first name, while wives of baronets use "Lady" followed by the husband's (marital) surname only, this by longstanding courtesy. Wives of baronets are not baronetesses; only women holding baronetciesin their own right are so styled.
Unlike knighthoods – which apply to the recipient only – a baronetcy is hereditarily entailed. The eldest son of a baronet who is bornin wedlock succeeds to a baronetcy upon his father's death, but will not be officially recognised until his name is recognised by being placed on the Official Roll. With some exceptions granted with special remainder by letters patent, baronetcies descend through the male line.
A full list of extant baronets appears inBurke's Peerage and Baronetage, which also published a record of extinct baronetcies.
A baronetcy is not a peerage; so baronets, like knights and junior members of peerage families, arecommoners and notpeers of the realm. Originally, all first baronets were knighted. Baronets also had other rights, including the right to have the eldest son knighted on his 21st birthday. However, at the beginning ofGeorge IV's reign, these rights were eroded byorders-in-council on the ground that sovereigns should not necessarily be bound by acts of their predecessors. Although never having been automatically entitled to heraldicsupporters, baronets who were also a Knight Grand Cross of a Crown order were allowed them in heredity in the first half of the 19th century.
Baronets of Scotland or Nova Scotia were allowed to augment their armorial bearings with the Arms of Nova Scotia and the privilege of wearing a neck badge signifying "of Nova Scotia", suspended by an orange-tawny ribbon. This consists of anescutcheon argent with asaltire azure, an inescutcheon of theRoyal Arms of Scotland, with an Imperial Crown above the escutcheon, and encircled with the mottoFax Mentis Honestae Gloria. This badge may be shown suspended by the ribbon below the escutcheon.
Baronets of England and Ireland applied toKing Charles I for permission to wear a badge. Although a badge was worn in the 17th century, it was not until 1929 that KingGeorge V granted permission for all baronets (other than those of Scotland) to wear badges.
A baronet is referred to and addressed as, for example, "Sir Joseph" (using his forename). The correct style on an envelope for a baronet who has no other titles is "Sir Joseph Bloggs, Bt." or "Sir Joseph Bloggs, Bart." A formal letter would commence with the salutation "Dear Sir Joseph".
The wife of a baronet is addressed and referred to by her married surname, as "Lady Bloggs"; the salutation would be "Dear Lady Bloggs". Her given name is used only when necessary to distinguish between two holders of the same title. For example, if a baronet has died and the title has passed to his son, the widow (the new baronet's mother) will remain "Lady Bloggs" while he (the son) is not married, but if he is or becomes married, his wife becomes "Lady Bloggs" while his mother will be known by the style "Alice, Lady Bloggs". Alternatively, the mother may prefer to be known as "TheDowager Lady Bloggs". A previous wife will also become "Alice, Lady Bloggs" to distinguish her from the current wife of the incumbent baronet. She would not be "Lady Alice Bloggs", a style reserved for the daughters of dukes, marquesses and earls (and now Ladies Companion of the Garter and Ladies of the Thistle without higher styles).[9]
The children of a baronet are not entitled to the use of anycourtesy titles.
In history, there have been only four baronetesses:
In 1976,Lord Lyon King of Arms stated that, without examining the patent of every Scottish baronetcy, he was not in a position to confirm that only these four title creations could pass through female lines.
As of 2025[update], there are no living baronetesses.[13]
For a baronetess one should write, for example, "Dame Daisy Smith, Btss" on the envelope. At the head of the letter, one would write "Dear Dame Daisy", and to refer to her, one would say "Dame Daisy" or "Dame Daisy Smith" (never "Dame Smith").
All baronetcies are created with aterritorial sub-designation; however, only more recent creations duplicating the original creation requireterritorial designations. So, for example, there have been baronetcies Moore of Colchester, Moore of Hancox, Moore of Kyleburn, and Moore of Moore Lodge.
Baronetcies usually descend throughheirs male of the body of thegrantee, and can rarely be inherited by females or collateralkin, unless created withspecial remainder, for example:
Marking the baronetage's origins in thePlantation of Ulster,[8] baronets of England, Ireland, Great Britain or the United Kingdom (i.e., all exceptbaronets of Nova Scotia) can display theRed Hand of Ulster (sinister (left) hand version) as aheraldic badge, being the arms of the ancientkings of Ulster.[14] This badge (or augmentation of honour) isblazoned as follows:Argent a Hand sinister couped at the wrist extended in pale Gules.[15] King James I of England established the hereditary Order of Baronets in England on 22 May 1611, in the words ofCollins' Peerage (1741): "for the plantation and protection of the whole Kingdom of Ireland, but more especially for the defence and security of the Province of Ulster, and therefore for their distinction those of this order and their descendants may bear the badge (Red Hand of Ulster) in theircoats of arms either incanton or anescutcheon at their election".[16] Since 1929, such baronets may also display the Red Hand of Ulster on its own as a badge, suspended by a ribbon below the shield of arms.[17]
Baronets of Nova Scotia, unlike other baronets, do not use the Baronet's Badge (of Ulster), but have their own badge showing theescutcheon of the arms of Nova Scotia:Argent, a Saltire Azure with aninescutcheon of theRoyal Arms of Scotland. From before 1929 to the present, it has been customary practice for such baronets to display this badge on its own suspended by theorder's ribbon below the shield of arms.[17]
| Creations | Total | Baronets | Peers |
|---|---|---|---|
| Baronets of England | 134 | 84 | 50 |
| Baronets of Ireland | 57 | 34 | 23 |
| Baronets of Nova Scotia | 103 | 73 | 30 |
| Baronets of Great Britain | 121 | 90 | 31 |
| Baronets of the United Kingdom | 777 | 671 | 106 |
| Total | 1192 | 952 | 240 |
The first publication listing all baronetcies ever created was C. J. Parry'sIndex of Baronetcy Creations (1967). This listed them in alphabetical order, other than the last five creations (Dodds of West Chiltington,Redmayne of Rushcliffe,Pearson of Gressingham,Finlay of Epping andThatcher of Scotney). It showed the total number created from 1611 to 1964 to have been 3,482. They include five ofOliver Cromwell, several of which were recreated byCharles II. Twenty-five were created between 1688 and 1784 byJames II in exile after his dethronement, by his sonJames Stuart ("The Old Pretender") and his grandsonCharles Edward Stuart ("Bonnie Prince Charlie"). These "Jacobite baronetcies" were never accepted by the English Crown, have all disappeared and should properly be excluded from the 3,482, making the effective number of creations 3,457. A close examination of Parry's publication shows he missed one or two,[19] so there might well have been some more.
As of 2000, including baronetcies where succession was dormant or unproven, there was a total of 1,314 baronetcies divided into five classes of creation included onTheOfficial Roll of the Baronetage – 146 of England, 63 of Ireland, 119 of Scotland, 133 of Great Britain and 853 of the United Kingdom.
The total number of baronetcies today is approximately 1,204, although only some 1,020 are onThe Official Roll of the Baronetage.[19] It is unknown whether some baronetcies remain extant and it may be that nobody can prove himself to be the actual heir. Over 200 baronetcies are now held by peers; and others, such as the Knox line, have been made tenuous by internal family disputes. According to theMinistry of Justice, it is not necessary to prove succession to a baronetcy in order to use the title, but a person cannot be referred to as a baronet in any official capacity unless their name is on theOfficial Roll.[20]
There were 1,490 baronetcies extant on 1 January 1965. Since then the number has reduced by 286 through extinction or dormancy: a gross decline of 19.2% (up to 2017). Extant baronetcies numbered about 1,236 in 2015,[21] and 1,204 as of 2017.
Since 1965 only one new baronetcy has been created, forSir Denis Thatcher on 7 December 1990, husband of a former British prime minister,Margaret Thatcher (later Baroness Thatcher); their only son,Sir Mark Thatcher, succeeded as2nd Baronet upon his father's death in 2003.[22]
Seven baronetcies dormant in 1965 have since been revived:Innes baronetcy,of Coxton (1686),Nicolson baronetcy of that Ilk and of Lasswade (1629),Hope baronetcy,of Kirkliston (1698),St John (later St John-Mildmay) baronetcy,of Farley (1772),Maxwell-Macdonald baronetcy of Pollok (1682),[21]Inglis baronetcy,of Cramond, Edinburgh (1687) andVon Friesendorff baronetcy,of Hirdech, Sweden (1661).
The Premier Baronet (of England) is the unofficial title afforded to the current holder of the oldest extant baronetcy in the realm. The Premier Baronet is regarded as the senior member of the Baronetage, and ranks above other baronets (unless they hold apeerage title) in theUnited Kingdom Order of Precedence.Sir Nicholas Bacon, 14th Baronet, is the current Premier Baronet; his family's senior title was created byKing James I in 1611.
The Premier Baronets of Nova Scotia (Scotland) were theGordon baronets of Gordonstoun and Letterfourie until the title's extinction in 1908.[23] Subsequently, the Premier Scottish Baronets are theInnes baronets of that Ilk (cr. 28 May 1625),[24] the present Premier Baronet beingCharles Innes-Ker, 11th Duke of Roxburghe.
The Premier Baronetcy of Ireland was created forSir Dominic Sarsfield in 1619, and was held by his successors until theattainder of the4th Viscount Sarsfield in 1691.[25] Since then the descendants ofSir Francis Annesley Bt., theAnnesley baronets, have been the Premier Baronets of Ireland;[26] presentlyFrancis William Dighton Annesley, 16th Viscount Valentia.
The creation of baronetcies lapsed in 1964; in 1990 the Conservative Government announced that this honour would be given to Denis Thatcher, but there have been no further creations
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